[h2]6. Iron Man 3[/h2]
There is one superhero movie I enjoyed more so far this year, but Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 made it abundantly clear to me that Iron Man is my favorite superhero. How else could Black so perfectly tailor every single element of his film, a sprawling studio blockbuster of mammoth proportions, to expertly advance Tony’s intensely human arc of identity and insecurity? ‘Complex characterization’ is not a strong enough term to describe what he and Downey Jr. accomplish here. This is an insightful and engaging psychological analysis of an impossibly rich and fascinating central character, and alongside Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel may be the current pinnacle of the superhero film as character piece, surpassing even Nolan’s Dark Knight films in terms of cutting to the heart of what makes the title figure tick, and vibrantly defining what audiences love about him in the process.
Iron Man 3 is also tremendously funny, of course, and endlessly intriguing, and bombastically exciting as only the greatest comic-book blockbusters can be. I am convinced this is a watermark for the genre – the second Marvel has delivered since May 2012 – and the only proof I ever need to defend that, cinematically speaking, Iron Man is not only the best Avenger, but the most emotionally rewarding costumed hero of them all.
Read my full analysis here.
Iron Man 3 is still playing in select theatres, and will arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray September 24th.
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